This clever trick will keep wasps away from your BBQ

Who doesn’t love dining al fresco in the summertime? But if wasps have gotten in the way of you enjoying your meal outside, pest experts have revealed a handy trick to keep them away from your plate.

I bet anyone who’s had a picnic, meal or BBQ disturbed by an interested wasp will have spent plenty of time searching for ‘how to get rid of wasps?’ afterwards.

Wasps are attracted to food, which is why you’ll often catch them flying around your outdoor dining areas. This is why experts say to leave a ‘wasp offering’. Leaving a small amount of your food out for wasps encourages them to go to that plate and stay away from yours.

What is a wasp offering?

When it comes to deterring wasps, you do have a wide range of options available. You can use scents that deter wasps in your home and in your garden, or choose plants that deter wasps from your patio. However, when it comes to food, wasps are persistent, which is where a wasp offering comes in handy.

Patio with beige outdoor corner sofa, pink umbrella, orange garden chairs and floral table cloth

(Image credit: Future PLC / David Giles)

‘A wasp offering is simply a small piece of sweet food, a blob of jam, a grape or a small piece of fruit, placed at a distance from your dining area to give wasps an alternative target. The idea is to draw them away from the table rather than trying to keep them away from the garden entirely,’ explains Mosh Latifi, co-owner of EcoCare Pest Management.

‘It is one of the more effective simple tricks available and it has logic behind it. Wasps are not specifically interested in you. They are interested in food. Redirecting their attention to an easier target reduces how often they land on your plate. It will not stop every wasp but it meaningfully reduces the number of encounters during a meal.’

Is it a good idea to use a wasp offering

Leaving a wasp offering is a good way to keep wasps off your plate, but it does need to be used alongside other methods, Mosh warns.

a garden with two brightly painted sheds with a dining table

‘A wasp offering combined with keeping food and drinks covered when not being eaten, avoiding sweet-scented products at the table and staying calm rather than swatting when a wasp does come close gives you the best chance of an undisturbed al fresco meal. Swatting releases an alarm pheromone that signals other wasps to investigate, which is the opposite of what you want,’ he says.

However, aside from your meal, you need to ensure your garden isn’t doing anything to attract wasps either.

‘The most effective way to deter wasps is to remove what attracts them. Keep food and sweet drinks covered when eating outdoors, clear away leftovers promptly and make sure outdoor bins have tightly fitting lids. Fallen fruit should also be picked up regularly, as fermenting fruit is a major attraction,’ adds Daniel Steward, Managing Director at Shield Pest Control.